It was unfortunate the turtle release of 150 turtles on Sunday 18^th November had ONE turtle that was injured. I noticed it. The turtle looked as if it had damage to one of its back flippers and it struggled to get into the water. If I noticed it, why on earth didn’t the Cayman Turtle Farm (CTF) personnel who were there see it, take the appropriate action and NOT RELEASED IT!

A supporter from the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) was present. He/she saw it and the WSPA sent us a statement with a photograph of this ONE injured turtle.

iNews Cayman published both the statement and photograph on 22 November 2012 under the title ‘“All is not what it seems with this turtle release’ says WSPA vet”. Go to: http://www.ieyenews.com/2012/11/all-is-not-what-it-seems-with-this-turtle-release-says-wspa-vet/

Roberto Vieto, WSPA Veterinarian for Central America and the Caribbean, claimed that its supporter present “saw evidence of turtles with visible defects being released”. Note he says turtleS. There was no evidence presented nor seen by any video footage, photographs, or seen by any of the persons I spoke to who were present of more than that ONE turtle. There was ONE defect where it looked as if a rear flipper had been torn or bitten.

Now we have a report from a vet, who wasn’t there, claiming in a press release (that has probably been sent all over the world) there was more than one turtle injured and more than one visible defect in evidence to other turtles!

That statement is completely untrue. It is an exaggeration and quite honestly now makes me doubt some of the facts the WSPA previously published.

Vieto also claims the “untrained Cayman residents or tourists freely handle the baby sea turtles”. Everyone who picked up the turtles were given lessons in handling the turtles and the children had their hands actually placed around the turtles bodies and were all supervised. The claim “freely handle” gives the impression people were allowed to just go and pick up the turtles and throw them into the sea!

“What on the surface looks like a coup for sea turtle conservation” and “we also wonder if this was nothing more than a PR ploy” Vieto also rants.

I have to ask him who is doing the PR ploy?

It is a shame because I received a telephone call from a lady called Neena from the WSPA and we spoke briefly about comparisons with sea turtle farming and the cruelty being done to farming of cattle, milking, and battery hens, plus the Cayman tradition of eating turtles. It was very amenable and she said she liked “a good debate and welcomed my opinion.”

As a consequent Rachel Alcock, Campaign Manager of WSPA (UK) sent me an email and this has been published in its entirety under the title “WSPA replies to Wilson”.

It is a great pity the CTF have made no effort to reply to the WSPA. They are not going away and some of their concerns are genuine. They are going to exploit these concerns for all their worth and, unfortunately, as has been proved likely to exaggerate them.

“CTF is an outdated model which does no justice to the Cayman Island’s treasured turtle heritage. We know that very many Caymanians are unhappy about culture being used as a justification for the factory farming of turtles,” Rachel Alcock claims.

There are also just as many Caymanians, my wife included, who can see nothing wrong in factory farming of turtles. They can see no difference in farming turtles compared to the farming of cattle or fish. With some of the recent video of cattle farming, milking and the treatment of chickens and turkeys it makes the CTF look like a 5 star hotel!

I have sent a copy of Alcock’s email to the CTF and I am awaiting their reply. I can only hope they do respond to me as I am mainly on their side.

They claim that sea turtles are “non-domesticated species and are not able to adapt to the artificial environment of the farm or to interaction with humans”. Neither are fish, chickens, or turtles and they are farmed. And there are not many cattle kept as pets. And most of the cattle that come into contact with humans must positively hate them!

Whilst the WSPA has lobbied governments against the practice of intensive dairy farms they have never petitioned for all dairy farms to be closed down or the banning of battery chicken farming. The WSPA claims they are working with North American restaurants to transition to using cage free hens eggs. How is that progressing?

That’s a very hard sale. It’s much easier to exaggerate and attack the sole sea turtle farm in the world. Especially when our country has leaders who offer a PR exercise against the WSPA of “do nothing and it will go away.”

It will not. The WSPA is a very respectable body and the World, including Sir Paul McCartney, does take note.

I am beginning to feel like a lone voice out there. But I do have Sir Richard Branson.